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Now that a few weeks have gone by since the last mass shooting, time for the knee-jerk defensiveness to die down, as it were, I wanted to touch on an issue that I feel lies at the core of that defensiveness.

That being the idea that if assault weapons, and other military size and grade weapons and accessories are restricted, the next step would be the government taking away our hunting rifles and target pistols.

Full disclosure: I am a gun owner, several times over. This is a frequent topic of conversation among my family, notably with my uncle and youngest sister. Both have long careers in law enforcement, both have my enduring respect. And both are “card carrying members” of the National Rifle Association (NRA). I am not.

Neither believes, in principle, that people on the street (as in, criminals) should have access to body armor, or…